Thanks, but it's too late now. I suspect it would have been possible to get the seal out, but the problem is the driveshaft. That's why the tractor had to be split. I don't see why they would not have a cover of some sort for the driveshaft similar to other parts that are spinning and are exposed to tall grasses/weeds.
Thanks everyone for the support. I posted this primarily to warn others that work in tall grasses/weeds you may want to create some short of shield to prevent the grasses from wrapping around the spinning driveline and costing $$. Besides that, I do really like the tractor.